


We race the Dawn

by Arstotzka



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Check out Shadowenza for that sweet sweet Dragon Pyro and hero Scout au!, Dragon Tamer AU, M/M, Pyro x Cedric, Shadowenza's Dragon Tamer au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-02 11:06:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16785724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arstotzka/pseuds/Arstotzka
Summary: A little Christmas gift for my friend Enza and her Dragon Tamer au; a Oneshot on Dragon Pyro and Adventurer Scout (Cedric) during one cold and eventful night!





	We race the Dawn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shadowenza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowenza/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Enza! This may be a tiny bit indulgent but... I still hope you'll like it! ♥

It was cold.

The freezing air lingered around Cedric and Pyro as they slowly moved across the snowed in path. The cold was so intense to Cedric that it felt like it penetrated through his skin and nestled into his bones, freezing him from the inside. With his arms thrown around him, he would’ve cursed weren’t he so tired. Besides, he wanted to keep some sort of dignity besides Pyro, who seemed to not feel the cold at all. It was as if the dragon felt no difference, and the longer Cedric glanced at him, he understood why; the snowflakes never even touched his skin. Heat came off him, melting snow, ice and the cold itself before it could get to him.

Cedric both hated and envied Pyro’s warm luck. He also wished he could stand closer to him to warm up, but with his companion’s temperament, he didn’t dare to do so. Instead, they silently walked side by side, paces as slow as the snowflakes gently falling from the sky.

Outstretched in front of them was a scenario of peaceful white, and behind them, only their footsteps could be seen. The path they had chosen was long and Cedric could feel the tiredness creeping up his legs along with the cold, but he kept walking nonetheless. And Pyro? Once again he envied him for not showing any signs of cold or exhaustion. True that it motivated the young hero to endure on, but at what cost?

With a soft sigh, he looked away from the dragon, eyes now fixed at the tall trees surrounding them. Pine trees, tall and pointy, aiming towards the sky in a silent race against each other, grew parallel to the snowed path. Sometimes, Cedric was certain that he could hear animals (or something… else) running between the woods and bushes, but quick glances at Pyro calmed him down. Neither animal nor bandit would be foolish enough to attack a man carrying a sword and walking along with a dragon. Still, it was as if fear settled into his bones along with the cold, and eventually he found himself holding onto himself not only for warmth, but to feel safe as well.

Just as Cedric finally convinced himself that they were well and that their travel through the woods would go unscathed, a loud cracking came from somewhere deep behind the trees. The sudden noise echoed through the winter silence, making both of the adventurers stop in their tracks. Pyro’s muscle tensed as he jumped in Guard. Cedric jumped from his spot, moving close to Pyro and hastily grabbing the grip of his sword. They could hear small animals escaping whatever had happened and birds flying away with scared cawing. And then, silence fell again.

They remained in guard for a few seconds, eyes glancing around and in between the trees to see if someone – or something – was lurking, but neither could find anything. With a scoff, Pyro shook his head and moved on.

“Wait!” Cedric hopped quickly in front of Pyro, stopping in his path. “We need to stick together.”

Pyro stood in silence, raising an eyebrow.

“We already are.” He replied.

“I meant, closer. What if that thing comes after us?”

“There is no ‘thing’, Cedric.”

“That’s what you think.” The human replied, arms now crossed in a fake pose of confidence. “But I’m sure there was something out th-“

“No, there wasn’t.”

Cedric’s arms dropped to his side as an offended expression found its way to his face.

“How are you so sure about that, huh?”

“I’m not.” Pyro replied “But if there is, we can take it. Let’s go.”

And just as Cedric opened his mouth to argue, Pyro placed his hand on his shoulder, carefully but firmly pushing Cedric aside and out of his path. Whatever he wanted to say apparently got stuck in his throat as he let the dragon pass by. Taking a deep breath, he was ready to yell when he suddenly heard scattering behind him; had Cedric looked, he would’ve seen a small, scared bunny, hopping across the path to hide within bushes. But he didn’t, and fear creeped up him once again as he hurried along, close to Pyro. 

“Even if there really isn’t anything… we should stick close anyway.”

“Again, we already are. In fact, you’re even closer than you were before.”

Pyro wasn’t lying – Cedric was close enough that he could feel his companion’s heat, and the dragon could feel the human’s nervousness. Yet, he didn’t push him away. Why didn’t he? He could’ve just thrown him aside like he had done before, but he couldn’t do it. Weren’t it for the hood covering his face and the night’s darkness, he would’ve turned his face away so Cedric wouldn’t see the redness burning on his cheeks.

They slowly kept walking, closer to the other than before. Cedric looked around them, eyes hopping from shadow to shadow, as if he was desperately looking for any signs of life to justify his unesiness.

“We should hold hands, Pyro.”

The dragon stopped so abruptly, Cedric turned around, slightly surprised.

“What?”

“We should hold hands. Just in case.”

Silence.

“I’m not holding your hand, Cedric.”

“Don’t be a shitty friend like that. Hold my hand.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No!”

Silence fell again. Cedric’s face suddenly changed, and Pyro couldn’t figure out what it was. Was he upset? Angered? The dragon was confused by the human’s change in emotions.

“… But what if the ‘thing’ attacks us?” Cedric suddenly continued. “Or we get lost? You know, it’s really dark in these woods and it’s still snowing – I mean, it’s not as bad as it was before, and it’s not as cold, but I’m cold and you’re warm and if we held hands, we would be both warm and safe and also ready for when the ‘thing’ attacked us, and I really think that if we held hands we would go faster because if one of us gets tired the other one can just d-“

“If I hold your hand, will you shut up?”

“Yes.”

Pyro immediately reached out for Cedric’s hand. It was sudden and out of desperation to shut his friend up, but once the dragon and the human held hands, it dawned on both of them. The heat on Pyro’s cheeks increased and finally, he turned his face aside. Cedric did the same. It was too late to take his hand away without being suspicious about his behaviour, so Cedric simply pressed his thumb against Pyro’s hand and the continued walking.

Pyro’s hand was warm. It felt comfortable against Cedrics skin. And just as he could feel his sense returning to his fingers from the cold, it felted like that his fears lifted as well. Above the cold and above the awkwardness between them, the human felt safe.

Side by side they walked down the path, sharing warmth between them and holding each other’s presence and safety close. Of all the things to happen throughout their journey, this perhaps was one of the oddest ones. But unfortunately, as awkwardly comfortable the moment felt, soon the path ended and the darkness was breached by the light of a village ahead of them; first, a few warm lights blinked through the trees. Then, the trees became less and the path widened and ended on top of a hill, making the adventurers halt.

Standing by the forests’ exit, Cedric and Pyro held hands as they watched the small village. Just behind the houses and trees, they could see the firs rays of sunshine gracing over the land. Along with the dawn, the sky cleared up and the constant snow finally stopped.

Suddenly, Cedric pulled his hand away from Pyro’s, excitedly pointing at the village as if the scares that he had felt just minutes ago had been long forgotten. In the morning light, gold showering over Cedric’s face, his smile was warmer than the dragon’s fire.

And at that very moment, just like many other;

_They would race the dawn together._

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this, Enza! It was really fun to write! I hope you have a fantastic Christmas! ♥


End file.
